COMMODITY OF FETISHISM IN POPULAR NOVEL, LAUREN WEISBERGER’S NOVEL “REVENGE WEARS PRADA”
Thesis
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Humaniora (S. Hum) in English and Literature Department at Adab and Humanities Faculty Alauddin State Islamic University (UIN) of Makassar
By:
NURAISYAH 40300110073
ENGLISH AND LITERATURE DEPARTMENT
ADAB AND HUMANITIES FACULTY
ALAUDDIN STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY
MAKASSAR
2014
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PERNYATAAN KEASLIAN SKRIPSI
Dengan penuh kesadaran, penyusun yang bertanda tangan dibawah ini, menyatakan bahwa skripsi ini benar adalah hasil karya penyusun sendiri, dan jika dikemudian hari terbukti penulis melakukan duplikat, tiruan, plagiat, atau dibuat oleh orang lain secara keseluruhan ataupun sebagian, maka skripsi ini dan gelar yang diperoleh batal demi hukum.
Makassar, 17 Desember 2014
Penulis,
NURAISYAH Nim: 40300110073
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APPROVAL SHEET
Title : Commodity of Fetishism in Popular Novel, Lauren Weisberger’s Novel “Revenge Wears Prada” Name : Nuraisyah Reg. Number : 40300110073 Program : English and Literature Department
Makassar, December 10th 2014 The Writer
Nuraisyah Reg. No: 40300110073
Supervisor
Supervisor I Supervisor II
Rosmah Tami. S.Ag., M.Sc., M.A. Nasrum Marjuni, S.Pd., M.A. NIP: 19711225 199903 2 008 NIP: 19800099 201302 1 710
Approved by: The Head of English and Literature Department
Dr. Abd. Muin, M. Hum. NIP: 19660102 199203 1 002
Acknowledged by: The Dean of Adab and Humanities Faculty of UIN Alauddin Makassar
Prof. Dr. Mardan, M. Ag. NIP: 19591112 198903 1 001
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PENGESAHAN SKRIPSI
Skripsi yang berjudul Commodity of Fetishism in Popular Novel,
Lauren Weisberger’s Novel “Revenge Wears Prada”, yang disusun oleh
Nuraisyah, NIM 40300110073, Mahasiswi Bahasa dan Sastra Inggris pada
Fakultas Adab dan Humaniora UIN Alauddin Makassar, telah diuji dan dipertahankan dalam sidang munaqasyah yang diselenggarakan pada hari Rabu, tanggal 17 Desember 2014 M, bertepatan dengan 24 Shafar 1436 H, dinyatakan telah dapat diterima sebagai salah satu syarat untuk memperoleh gelar Sarjana
Humaniora dalam ilmu Adab dan Humaniora, Jurusan Bahasa dan Sastra Inggris
(dengan berbagai perbaikan).
Makassar, 17 Desember 2014 24 Shafar 1436 H
DEWAN PENGUJI
Ketua : Dr. H. M. Dahlan, M., M.Ag. ( )
Sektretaris : Faidah Yusuf, S.S., M.Pd. ( )
Munaqisy I : Serliah Nur, S.Pd., M.Hum., M.Ed. ( )
Munaqisy II : Sardian Maharani Asnur, S.Pd., M.Pd. ( )
Konsultan I : Rosmah Tami, S.Ag., M.Sc., M.A. ( )
Konsultan II : Nasrum Marjuni, S.Pd. M.A. ( )
Diketahui oleh: Dekan Fakultas Adab dan Humaniora UIN Alauddin Makassar,
Prof. Dr. Mardan, M.Ag. NIP: 19591112 198903 1 001
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PERSETUJUAN PEMBIMBING
Pembimbing penulisan skripsi saudari Nuraisyah, NIM: 40300110073,
Mahasiswa jurusan Bahasa dan sastra Inggris pada Fakultas Adab dan Humaniora
UIN Alauddin Makassar, setelah dengan seksama meneliti dan mengoreksi skripsi yang bersangkutan berjudul COMMODITY OF FETISHISM IN POPULAR
NOVEL, LAUREN WEISBERGER’S NOVEL “REVENGE WEARS PRADA” memandang bahwa skripsi tersebut memenuhi syarat-syarat ilmiah dan dapat disetujui untuk dapat diajukan pada sidang munaqasyah.
Demikian persetujuan ini diberikan untuk diproses lebih lanjut.
Makassar, 17 Desember 2014
Pembimbing I Pembimbing II
Rosmah Tami S.Ag., M.Sc.,M.A. Nasrum Marjuni, S.Pd., M.A. NIP: 19711125 9990 3 2001 NIP: 198009092013021 701
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER PAGE ...... i PERNYATAAN KEASLIAN SKRIPSI ...... ii PENGESAHAN SKRIPSI ...... iii PERSETUJUAN PEMBIMBING ...... iv APPROVAL SHEET ...... v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...... vi TABLE CONTENTS ...... viii ABSTRACT ...... x
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION …………………………………………. 1
A. Background …………………………………………………….. 1 B. Problem Statement ……………………………………………… 4 C. Objective of the research ………………………………………. 4 D. Scope of the research …..……………………………………….. 4 E. Significance of research …………………………………...... 4
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE ………… 5
A. Previous Findings ………………………………………………. 5 B. Definition of Popular Culture…………………………………… 7 C. Commodity of Fetishism Theory …………………………………10 D. Synopsys of the Novel ………..………………………………… 15 E. Biography of the Author ………………..……………………….. 16
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH ………………… …. 18
A. Research Method …………………………………………….... 18 B. The Source of Data Collection…………………………………. 18 C. The Instrument of Data ………………………………………... 18 D. Procedure of Data Collection …………………………………..... 19 E. The Technique of Data Analysis ………………………………… 19
CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ………………………. 20
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A. Findings ……………………………………………………….. 20 B. Discussion …………………………………………………….. 36
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS ………………………………………… 42
A. Conclusions …………………………………………………… 42 B. Suggestions …………………………………………………… 43
BIBLIOGRAPHY ………………………………………………………… 44
APPENDIX………………………………………………………………... 45
BIOGRAFI ………………………………………………..... …………..... 49
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
First of all, the writer would like to say thanks to the God who has blessed and given her His blessing, mercy, guidance, and love during her study in Faculty of
Adab and Humanities of UIN Alauddin Makassar. The writer never forgets to send greet respect to Prophet Muhammad SAW, the great leader who has brought us from the darkness into the brightness era as we feel today.
The writer has a lot of help from many people. Her special gratitude are expressed to her mother and beloved father, Abdul Kadir Taepe and Hj. Hasnaini who have patiently given her moral values, financial support, advice, love, and prayers for her.
The writer would like to express her thank to the Rector of UIN Alauddin
Makassar, Prof. Dr. H. Qadir Gassing. H.T, M.A., the Dean of Adab and Humanities
Faculty, Prof. Dr. Mardan, M.Ag. The Head of English and Literature Department,
Dr. Abd. Muin, M.Hum., and the secretary of English and Literature Department,
Serliah Nur, S.Pd., M.Hum., M.Ed., for their help, support, suggestion, precious time, and administrative support.
The writer’s deep gratitude due to her supervisors, Rosmah Tami. S.Ag.,
M.Sc., M.A., and Nasrum Marjuni, S.Pd., M.A for their generous support, advice,
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constructive, suggestion, and precious time they have given during the completion of this thesis.
Many thanks for the lecturers of Adab and Humanities Faculty, for their knowledge and enlightment, and who have given her advice during the academic years. And also, to the Staff of Adab and Humanities Faculty, for their help and administrative support.
The writer would like to give appreciation to her brother Arif Ma’ruf who has patiently given their moral values, financial support, advice, love, and prayers for her.
To her best friends; Ruli Kartika, Agusmianti, Fitri Amriani, Andi Nurul
Amalia, Siti Hardianti, Nur Rezki Amalia, Adriansah, Nurfaizah, Muhammad Ismail
Hasbi, Arif Perdana Kusumah and all her friends in class of 2010 English and
Literature Department UIN Alauddin Makassar, AG.1, AG.2, and especially for
AG.3, and AG.4, thank you for being such a nice person and special thanks to my beloved dormitory mate; Rere, Uni, Tenri, Emi, Andini and all of Pondok Agung members that writer cannot mention one by one for generous support, advice, constructive, suggestion, and precious time.
Makassar, 11th December 2014
The Writer,
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Nuraisyah
Reg. No. 40300110073
Name : Nuraisyah Reg. Number : 40300110073 Title : Commodity of Fetishism in Popular Novel, Lauren Weisberger’s Novel “Revenge Wears Prada” Supervisor I : Rosma Tami Supervisor II : Nasrum Marjuni
This thesis was a study about Commodity of Fetishism in Popular Novel. Popular culture makes most people fond of or a product of culture massively produced that attracted people attention. The aim of this thesis was to know the support of commodity of fetishism in novel. Commodity fetishism creates relationship between people define commodity forms such as branded goods, car, diamonds, shoes, bag, and dress. The all of commodity form convey a message of social status, position, wealth, and lifestyle. This research used an application by Adorno’s theory and applications to theory of consumerism, social status, prestige, existence, and image. While the people relations are connected by commodity value as relations not people with people but goods or the price which are worn by the people. The problem in this thesis was analyzed by using descriptive method. The descriptive method in this case was categorized as concurrent embedded strategy to collect data by reading the novel carefully. In this thesis, the writer found that commodity fetishism is closely related to consumerism. It drives many people to be consumerist and enjoyment social production and cultural goods. Commodity consumption will always dominate the real need of human. It changes useful values become false need. Based on the explanation above, it can be concluded that popular culture cannot become perfect without commodity fetishism. Commodity fetishism drives many people to consume branded goods that define their social status, position, and wealth.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background
Culture is a set of knowledge, belief and habit that depends on the ability of humans to learn and pass it on to the next generation. It is composed of traditions, customs, and norms and is inherited over generations. It is acquired through people‘s learning process in their social environment.
As part of culture, popular culture can be approached by studying culture first. William (1983:87) proposes that there are four keys of popular culture, namely: ‗well liked by many people‘; ‗inferior kinds of work‘; ‗work deliberately setting out to win favour with the people‘; ‗culture actually made by the people for themselves‘. Based on that‘s explanation there are four characteristics of popular culture namely 1) a culture that is produced commercially, is created to all elements of society, and is enjoyed by many people. For example fashion, car, gadget, and etc. 2) a culture that is regarded as inferior work because popular culture is directed to inferior class from middle to lower class society that is identical with inferior tastes such as a preference of product, idea, and thought. 3) a culture that is continuously produced is easily enjoyed and imitated by all of people not only elite class but also middle class and even inferior class. 4) a culture that is made by people to be cultural industry and to be consumed widely.
Ultimately, it can be concluded that popular culture is a culture of industry created massively. The productions such as clothes, movies, music, food, fashion are intended to attract people to consume them.
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Through his book ―Popular Culture‖, Dominic proposes that popular culture is related to consumption. Pop Culture shapes the ways people consume both material goods and science. Popular culture is a media created by capitalist to form society to be consumer that make them more passive and prefer instant products. Pop culture creates imagination to consumers to continuously consume the product that make them addicted. KFC, for example, provides delivery system to facilitate our consumer to be more practice, so they do not need to spend all time in the kitchen. According to Srinati (1995) Commodity consumption will always dominate the real needs of human. Many people buy goods that they desire not what they need.
One of pop culture forms is literature, literature is a medium that provide beauty as expression of imagination that bears from the observation of social phenomenon. One of pop culture literature is Revenge wears Prada. The novel is included as popular culture because it is a sequel of The Devil Wears Prada that becomes bestseller novel and it has been filmed which were played by Hollywood artists. The author, Lauren Weisberger is the New York Times bestselling author of
The Devil Wears Prada, which was published in forty languages. The novel
Revenge Wears Prada tell phenomenon that happens in American metropolitan life style.
One of critical judgment to the popular culture is that the idea of popular culture that may create commodity of fetishism in real life. Fetish is a desire had by a person toward something or goods which create adoration. As a result, it forms culture consumerism of product. Commodity fetishism is an attempt of the
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industry in such a way to create adoration toward the cultural industry products to the public. Commodity fetishism creates phenomenon that makes people more confidence if they use branded goods that are expensive because the people feel the branded goods have high prestige in society. The popular is related with consumption. Media creates popular with commodity consumption goods. Goods of consumption have an important position in society. Goods of consumption become social identity card to integrate someone in society. There are aspects of popular culture revolve around commodities that people actively seek and purchase. Marx (1976: 955) stated that the commodity-form has no connection with its physical nature and any material relations arising from it. Rather, social relations between people define a commodity‘s value-relation, its price. People relations that are connected by commodity value as relations not people with people but goods which are worn by the people. For example, on Oscar night what celebrities wear is as important as the films themselves. Oscar dresses have an exchange value based on the name value of the celebrity- Kiera Knightley wears a dress by Valentino. The dress is fetishized not because it is made by Valentine but because it is one step closer to understanding Kiera Knightley.
Based on the background above, the writer tries to analyze the Commodity of Fetishism in the novel Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger with postmodern approach and concentrate with Adorno theory about commodity fetishism.
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B. Problem Statement
Based on the statement above, the writer tries to formulate the problem as follows:
How does the novel of Revenge Wears Prada portrait commodity of fetishism?
C. Objective of Research
In connection with the formulation of the problem statements mentioned
above, the purposes of this study is as follows:
To analyzes novels of Revenge Wears Prada portrait commodity of
fetishism
D. Significance of the Research
It is hoped that the result of this research can be used as a reference to the other researchers who want to analyze the novel Revenge Wears Prada by other perspective. Through this research the students or readers are expected to know and realize the effect of commodity fetishism in our life
E. Scope of Research
In this research, the writer focuses on the novel Revenge Wears Prada by
Lauren Weisberger to analyze commodity fetishism in the novel Revenge Wears
Prada by Lauren Weisberger who using goods as social status symbols. The research focuses on product that influence many people using branded goods
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
A. Previous Research Findings
Nowadays many people reading literature especially novel did not realize that they are getting hypnotize with plot, setting, character, and theme that showed by writer in his work. Showing the message that the writer want to say and influence the reader about what the writer thinking. Literature can change someone‘s way to see the world. Literature shows the social issues that happen around us such as culture of consumer. The writer presents four previous finding to inform about introduction study which related or relevant with this research, as follows:
Plemons (2008) in his thesis Commodifying Fido: Pets as Status Symbols.
He found use of his pet or animals to convey a message of social status, position, wealth and life style. Commodifying pet used as social indicator that showing high prestige, power, and social recognition for their owners. Related to though the research of Revenge Wears Prada‘s novel the writer will also analyzed about social status, position, wealth, and life style but the writer will only focus on branded goods in novel not pet.
Saray (2007) In Buying Britney: Pop Culture Icons to Cultural Brands found the exploration of popular music‘s relation to fashion and the corresponding effect that style has on mass society. He analyzed relationship between music and fashion. Popular style is contingent upon a key music icon of that particular time period. He found that style is in fact directly connected to popular music via the
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effects of the music icon. It is premised on the notion that consumers tend to fetishize music artist‘s fashion brands, in order to get a deeper sense of the artist.
Stars life style related to other brands such as Britney Spears and Madonna do the shopping Channel. Automatically assume their fans are avid the shopping
Channel. Both The writer analyzes pop culture especially consumerism about fashion which is popular style but the difference is the writer did not focus on the relationship between music and fashion but the writer focuses on popular style in novel.
Ainiyah (2013) In her journal Fetisisme Komoditas : Pemujaan Status
Simbol Dalam Gaya Hidup Mahasiswa. She found that forms of commodity fetishism which occur in the student lifestyle such as consumption of the branded goods, social media, and how they spend their free time. And she also found impact of commodity fetishism in student lifestyle that raises the different between high class and middle class so that social distances between both are controlled by bourgeoisie. The writer analyzed about consumption of branded goods as lifestyle but the writer focus in novel support, not from student lifestyle.
Sancaktar (2006) In his thesis An Analysis of Shoe within the Context of
Social History of Fashion. He found that relationship between fashion, shoes, and culture and also the meaning of shoes within different countries and different life cultures and the changes, transformations and cycles of their meaning and significance. And Shoes serve as markers of social status, gender identity, race, ethnicity, and even sexuality or conformity. it also explores the long relationship of sex, power femininity, fashion, and fetishism. The novel Revenge Wears Prada
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tells fashion or branded goods have relations with social status, gender identity, and lifestyle not focus on shoes but all of related with fashion as lifestyle.
After comparing those four researches above, there is a similarity to the research which the writer will conduct. The similarity between the previous researches and this research by the writer is analyzing about commodity fetishism as status symbol. While the differences of those three researches above are the theories, April M. Plemons used sociology analysis. Fakhriyatul Ainiyah used theory of the consumption society, Asli Sancaktar‘s thesis used literature review and in a theoretical corpus structured. Then, Markian Saray used postmodern theory which is similar with the writer‘s theory that will be used, but different in the object (novel) and theoretical approach. Moreover, the writer herself will analyze commodity of fetishism derived from the novel different from the four researches above that analyze commodity of fetishism from social environment.
B. Definition of Popular Culture
Mass culture refers to popular culture which is produced by the industrial techniques of mass production, and marketed for profit to a mass public of consumers. (Strinati, 1995: 12) In order to define popular culture we first need to define the term ‗culture‘. According William (1983:90) First, culture can be used to refer to ‗a general process of intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic development‘.
A second use of the word ‗culture‘ might be to suggest ‗a particular way of life, whether of a people, a period or a group‘ (Williams, 1983: 90) Using this definition, if we speak of the cultural development of Western Europe, we would
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have in mind not just intellectual and aesthetic factors, but the development of, for example, literacy, holidays, sport, and religious festivals.
Finally, Williams suggests that culture can be used to refer to ‗the works and practices of intellectual and especially artistic activity‘ (Williams, 1983: 90).
In other words, culture here means the texts and practices whose principal function is to signify, to produce or to be the occasion for the production of meaning. Using this definition, we would probably think of examples such as poetry, the novel, ballet, opera, and fine art. To speak of popular culture usually means to mobilize the second and third meanings of the word ‗culture‘. The second meaning– culture as a particular way of life – would allow us to speak of such practices as the seaside holiday, the celebration of Christmas, and youth subcultures, as examples of culture. These are usually referred to as lived cultures or practices.
First a few words about the term ‗popular‘. Williams suggests four current meanings: ‗well liked by (1) many people, (2) inferior kinds of work, (3) work deliberately setting out to win favour with the people. (4) Culture actually made by the people for themselves (Williams, 1983: 237). Clearly, then, any definition of popular culture will bring into play a complex combination of the different meanings of the term ‗culture‘ with the different meanings of the term ‗popular‘.
First, define popular culture is to say that popular culture is simply culture that is widely favoured or well liked by many people.
Second, way of defining popular culture is to suggest that it is the culture that is left over after we have decided what high culture is. Popular culture, in this
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definition, is a residual category, there to accommodate texts and practices that fail to meet the required standards to qualify as high culture. In other words, it is a definition of popular culture as inferior culture. This definition of popular culture is often supported by claims that popular culture is mass-produced commercial culture, whereas high culture is the result of an individual act of creation. Third, way of defining popular culture is as ‗mass culture‘. This draws heavily on the previous definition. It is mass produced for mass consumption. Its audience is a mass of non-discriminating consumers. Fourth, definition contends that popular culture is the culture that originates from ‗the people‘. It takes issue with any approach that suggests that it is something imposed on ‗the people‘ from above.
According to this definition, the term should only be used to indicate an
‗authentic‘ culture of ‗the people‘. This is popular culture as folk culture: a culture of the people for the people. As a definition of popular culture, it is ‗often equated with a highly romanticised concept of working-class culture construed as the major source of symbolic protest within contemporary capitalism‘ (Bennett, 1980:
27).
Popular culture is more often referred to as pop culture is whatever happens around us every day. Whether it is clothes, movies, music, food, everything is included in part of the popular culture of popular or popular definition is accepted by many people, favored or approved by many people.
While the definition of culture is a pattern which is the unity of knowledge, beliefs and habits that depend on the ability of humans to learn and pass it on to the next
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generation. Moreover, culture can also be interpreted as a habit of belief, social order and habits of a group of race, creed or social group.
Based on explain above I can conclude that popular culture is everything that accepted and loved by most of people in one period. Popular culture is also a medium that creates commodity fetishism because it is mass produced for mass consumption. It makes many people actively consuming many commodities continuous and it makes cult of goods. The activity makes many people become fetish to commodity such as branded goods, car, diamond, shoes, and dress.
C. Commodity of Fetishism Theory
The term fetishism comes from the word "fetishes" and "Ism‖. Fetishes in
Portuguese; feitico which means: charm, or magic and "ism" or ideology means that religion form based on trust. So fetishism is a form that is based on the belief that there soul in certain objects, thus giving birth to a form of ritual 4 worship the objects that are considered soulless. (Adorno in Pujilaksono, 2009: 19)
Fetishism itself is an attitude that cult a certain object because the object is believed to have the power or spirit. This attitude related with the term
"commodity. It means that worship of a product due to the lure of power charm
(Bagus 1996:240)
Commodity fetishism is an attempt by the industry in such a way to create a cult which is one of the cultural industry products to the public. Society no longer worships an industrial product that is a real culture there, but worship is more likely to be directed to a symbol and branded of the product. They feel pleasure apparent through branded and product symbols of the culture industry
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and consider it a true pleasure they get from a product that has value. An example is when someone buys a concert ticket , so revered is not a concert but a symbol and brand of concert tickets for the concert are labeled and purchased at a price that is not cheap . Commodity fetishism want to talk about people's perceived apparent enjoyment in consuming products of cultural industries and the placement error cult of the product. While the theory of the culture industry would like to state that the culture industry shaping the tastes and trends of the masses, so that they print awareness over false needs. Thus cultural industries are trying to obscure the real needs of society. Cultural industries are very effective in running it until people are not aware of what was going on
( Strinati, 2007: 69 )
School of Frankfrut looked up popular culture based on his theory of capitalism and the modern conception of social control "culture industry" that can mobilize human thought and action, or can be called Fetishism of Commodities.
Adorno once wrote that ‗the real secret of success…is the mere reflection of what one pays in the market for the product. The consumer is really worshipping the money that he himself has paid for the ticket to the Toscanini concert‘. (1991:34).
Adorno‘s theory is that money—the price of commodities or goods, including a ticket to a concert—defines and dominates social relations in capitalist societies.
According to Adorno, ‗this is the real secret of success‘, since it can show how
‗exchange value exerts its power in a special way in the realm of cultural goods‘
(1991:34).
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Exchange value refers to the money that a commodity can command on the market, the price it can be bought and sold for, while use value refers to the usefulness of the good for the consumer, its practical value or utility as a commodity. For Marx, exchange value will always dominate use value in capitalism because the production, marketing and consumption of commodities will always take precedence over people‘s real needs (Strinati, 1995: 101)
It links commodity fetishism with the predominance of exchange value.
Money exemplifies how social relations between people can assume the fantastic form of a relation defined by a ‗thing‖ that is money, and is the basic definition of the value of commodities for people in capitalist societies. This is why we are supposed to venerate the price we pay for the ticket to the concert rather than the concert itself.
The specific fetish character of music lies in this quid pro quo‘ (something given or returned as a reply) (Adorno, 1991:34) Exchange values both obscures and dominates use value. Exchange value not use value determines the production and circulation of these commodities. However, cultural commodities such as music bring us into an ‗immediate‘ relation with what we buy—the musical experience. Therefore their use value becomes their exchange value such that the latter can ‗disguise itself as the object of enjoyment‘ (ibid.). This means that it is not aware / conscious that the principle of exchange has become a principle of benefit. We buy just not with the principle of exchange, but because to make use of it for one thing.
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We are said to worship the price we pay for the ticket to the concert, rather than the performance itself because we are victims of commodity fetishism whereby social relations and cultural appreciation are objectified and dominated by money Strinati (1995: 101). Someone would be proud if he uses branded goods that are expensive. Not because of their comfort and utility, but its price.
Adorno (1991: 30) defines characteristic of commodity fetishism:
1. Social Production
Social production is goods that produced for many people as
entertainment, pleasure, and enjoyment. It creates false needs that
demanded of social value such as social status, prestige, existence, life
style and image that expressed through consume various commodities.
2. Cultural Goods
The Cultural goods are relationship with goods that change their
exchange value and use value. Exchange value replaced use value that
disguised itself as the object of enjoyment. The people who have money to
buy goods are intoxicated by the act of buying. The people are proud when
they show up their branded goods in society such as diamonds, gadget,
style, bag, shoes, car, and fashion.
Base on Adorno‘s characteristics the writer divined in indicator:
1. Based on Adorno‘s theory of social production
a. Goods is made for:
1) Entertainment is to provide the public with something enjoyable,
or pleasurable that holds their attention for the period of time the
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entertaining object or occasion is perceived. In entertainment that
truly entertains (Stebbins, 2006). Something that gives
enjoyment. It became people lifestyle widely and occurs in
modern era by entertainment industry such as sell entertainment
product.
2) Pleasure is activity that leads to feelings of joy (Jin and
Sternquist, 2004). feeling of happiness or enjoyment. It is the
consumer feels good, joyful, happy, and satisfied and the pleasure
that you get from something.
3) Enjoyment is the sense of pleasure derived from consuming
products (Raney, 2003). getting pleasure from something. It is
enjoyable activities that make us feel good and keep us looking
toward the future because we want to keep doing those things. b. Goods creates false needs demand social values
1) Status is the position or rank of person or group and lifestyle
based upon prestige. It is displaying good manners, wearing the
correct cut of clothes, using proper speech, and member in the
social clubs.
2) Prestige refers to the reputation or esteem associated with one's
position in society. A person can earn prestige by his or her own
achievements, which is known as achieved status, or they can be
placed in the stratification system by their inherited position.
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3) Existence is the behavior of person to earn acknowledgement or
acceptance in a group of society.
4) Lifestyle is the typical way of life of an individual, group, or
culture. It is as a derivative of that of style in modernist art. A
lifestyle typically reflects an individual's attitudes, values or world
view. Therefore, a lifestyle is a means of forging a sense of self and
to create cultural symbols that resonate with personal identity.
5) Image is mental picture of person to others or things to be
recognized in a group of society.
2. Cultural goods
The Cultural goods are relationship with goods that change their exchange value and use value. Exchange value replaced use value that disguised itself as the object of enjoyment. The people who have money to buy goods are intoxicated by the act of buying. The people are proud when they show up their branded goods in society such as diamonds, gadget, style, bag, shoes, car, and fashion.
D. Synopsis of the Novel
Eight years have passed since Andrea ―Andy‖ Sachs quit the job ―a million girls would die for‖ working for Miranda Priestly at Runway Magazine a dream that turned out to be a nightmare. Now Andy‘s on the top of the world. she‘s writing and reporting to her heart‘s content; running The Plunge, her wildly successful high fashion bridal magazine with Miranda‘s other ex-assistant, Emily and most importantly, getting married to the scion of a storied media family and the love of her life. But the night before her wedding, Andy can‘t sleep. As happy
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as she is happy as she should be she‘s still haunted by the specter of her former boss. Maybe it‘s survivor syndrome? Or maybe it‘s justifiable, self-inflicted, paranoia. From the start, Andy and Emily have felt entitled to use their Rolodex of contacts Miranda‘s contacts from Runway as they make their way in the magazine world. As The Plunge succeeds, Andy and Emily realize they‘ll soon come face to face with their former tormenter at industry functions, award ceremonies, and even weddings. Still, Andy can hardly anticipate the horrifying reality that‘s approaching a reversal so profound that she will be squarely in Miranda‘s crosshairs once more. Karma‘s a bitch. And Andy‘s efforts to build a bright new life have led her directly to the one she fled and into the path of the Devil herself.
E. Biography of the Author
Lauren Weisberger was born on March 28, 1977, in Scranton,
Pennsylvania. At age 11, her parents divorced. Along with her mother and her sister, Weisberger moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania. She graduated in 1995 and then attended Cornell University. She studied English and near-Eastern studies.
After graduating in 1999 with a B.A. in English, she decided to travel around the world. Carrying only a small backpack, Weisberger traveled through Europe,
Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Thailand, India, Nepal, and HongKong. After returning to the United States, Lauren Weisberger moved to Manhattan, New York, and began working. Weisberger‘s first job was an assistant to the Editor-in-Chief Anna
Wintour at Vogue. After Vogue, she wrote reviews for Departures magazine, a high-end travel and lifestyle magazine. While working there, she began taking writing courses at night. She then wrote the The Devil Wears Prada. The novel
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was published in April 2003, spent a year on the New York Times Bestseller List, and is sold in over 34 countries. Additionally, the novel‘s popularity piqued Fox
2000‘s interest, and it was made into a major motion picture, starring Meryl
Streep and Anne Hathaway. Weisberger also had a short cameo in the film. The novel centers on a small-town girl who is hired to work as an assistant to a high- profile editor for Runway magazine. Weisberger‘s second novel, Everyone Worth
Knowing, was published in October 2005. In 2008, Weisberger published her third novel, Chasing Harry Winston, which was also a New York Times bestseller. It is now being developed into a screenplay. Her most recent novel, Last Night at
Chateau Marmont, was published in 2010.
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH
This chapter is focused on method, instrument of the research, procedure of data collection, and technique of data analysis. The research is conducted scientifically, systematically, and logically. The data which took in this research are empiric facts whose the research is done carefully and completely objective.
A. Research Method
The researcher used descriptive method. Descriptive method is actually a method in research about status of a group of human, an object, a set of condition, a system of thought or a class of accident in the present (Nazir, 1988:63). The researcher conducted this study by applying commodity fetishism theory to analyze commodity fetishism in the novel ―Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren
Weisberger. This novel consists of twenty three chapters in 385 pages. It was published in 2013. The data included all the utterances, sentences, narrations related to commodity of fetishism.
B. Data Sources
There are two variables in this research commodity of fetishism and popular culture. The data source of this research was the novel ―Revenge Wears
Prada‖ by Lauren Weisberger which contains all the utterances, sentences, narrations found in the novel which may support portrays the commodity of fetishism.
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C. Instrument of the Research
Through this research, the writer used note taking as the instrument. It was the essential tool in conducting a research. Boch and Piolat (2005:101-102) states ―Confronted with a diverse range of information-transmission situations, note-takers are striving to avoid forgetting something. Note taking is an essential tool in many information-transmission situations‖. Note taking is an indispensable part of writing a research paper since notes record and gather the information from the sources used in writing the paper.
D. Procedure of Data Collection
The procedures of data collection will be used by the writer as follows:
1. Data is collected based on the indicator (see appendix) which based on
characteristics of commodity fetishism by Adorno the indicator of
fetish as follow the character of novel found.
2. The writer collected some data which are relevant to the object of the
research.
3. The writer noted or writer all the relevant data related to the
commodity fetishism in the novel.
E. Technique of Data Analysis
The data have been collected and analyzed by interpretation about relation between novel as popular culture and portrait fetishism in the novel.
CHAPTER IV
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
A. Findings
This part consists of the data analysis found in the novel ―Revenge Wears
Prada‖. The function of analysis is to answer the research questions presented in the first chapter, namely, how the novel of Revenge Wears Prada portrait commodity of fetishism. The novel is analyzed by using postmodern approach to connect the popular culture that occurred in America metropolitan lifestyle in the story and social circumstances of the people in America the time the novel was published. The popular culture phenomenon of commodity of fetishism as lifestyle represented in the novel can be seen as follows:
1. Social production
Adorno (1991: 25) stated that the standardization of the cultural product is not a consequence of mass production. He states that "the expression 'industry' (in the concept 'culture industry') is not to be taken literally. It refers to the standardization of the thing itself such as the Western, familiar to every movie- goer and to the rationalization of distribution techniques, but not strictly to the production process. Earlier, he had been even more specific. "The production of popular music can be called 'industrial' only in its promotion and distribution, whereas the act of producing a song-hit still remains in a handicraft stage. It is still
'individualistic' in its social mode of production. Rather, standardization is a necessity of mass consumption.
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Based on the analysis of the novel, it was found that the characteristic of commodity fetishism into several ways. It can be seen in goods is made for entertainment, pleasure, enjoyment, and it can also observed through goods creates false needs that demand social value such as social status, prestige, existence, lifestyle, and image.
a. Goods is made for:
1) Entertainment
Entertainment is something that gives enjoyment. It became people lifestyle widely and occurs in modern era by entertainment industry such as sell entertainment product.
“Sorry, love. It’s seven thirty. I just wanted to be the first one to congratulate you. The Times write-up is fantastic! You’re on the first page of Wedding and the picture is gorge! Was that one from your engagement session? I love that dress you’re wearing. Why haven’t I seen it before? (Weisberger, 2013: 47)
It can be noted that media such magazine is very influential to create existence and creating imagery that expressed through a variety of commodities that we wear. It was seen how the Times magazine as a media expose in detail what Andi wear as the wife of Max horizon as CEO of one of the most successful media companies in America that demonstrate the existence of a social group are presented in the media
As Emily had predicted, very few of their readers could afford the lifestyle proposed by The Plunge, but they were all savvy and stylish and luxury-awere enough to use the gorgeous photos and detailed articles as inspirations for their own weddings. (Weisberger, 2013: 123)
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Modern cultural industry produces pleasure and standardized product to interest capitalist class. As portrayed in the novel, Andy and Emily published The
Plunge, a high-end bridal magazine for the young and stylish to inspire the reader to buy illusions about the status, and prestige that purposed to entertainment
Something that featured celebrities and socialites and weddings that were financially out of reach for most readers but that still played to their daydreams and plans. A book that offered the sophisticated, savvy, style-conscious woman page after page of inspiration on which she could model her own wedding. (Weisberger, 2013: 26)
The Socialites and celebrities become trend center in society. Celebrities‘ lifestyle will drive many people to imitate their style through media especially magazine that showcase their fashion. It is indirect relationship between the socialites and consumption of goods.
The plunge was edited with a nod to high fashion and refinement: one-of-a-kind designer dresses; diamond jewelry worthy of being passed down through the generations; guides on how to select the elegant silver servers rent a private island for your honeymoon, curate unique and finely crafted registry lists. (Weisberger, 2013: 122)
The plunge is published to create false need through media such magazine.
The magazine offered high fashion, designer dresses, diamond jewelry, elegant silver and Private Island for honeymoon as an imagination to influence the reader to become consumptive to cultural goods.
2) Pleasure
Pleasure is the consumer feels good, joyful, happy, and satisfied and the pleasure that you get from something. As seen in the novel that Andy feels happy
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when Max asked her to hangout and Max serious about investing in her company.
That so way Andy has to wear interesting suit.
She grabbed the hat and the sunblock and tossed them back into the bag, adding her own bikini, jean short, and tank top. There was only so far she was willing to go with Emily’s dictatorial costuming, and besides, if Max didn’t like her look, that was his problem.( Weisberger, 2013:24)
The quote above how the appearance that we use influence cooperation with another person in social life. It showed by Andy that she has to good looking to attract attention of Max so max want interlacing with her.
3) Enjoyment
Enjoyment is Enjoyable activities that make us feel good and keep us looking toward the future because we want to keep doing those things.
It had long been a point of pride for Andy that she almost never
went to the Hamptons. The traffic, the crowds, the pressure to get
dressed up and look great and be at the right place… (Weisberger,
2013: 16D)
Hamptons is one of fashion centers in New York that influence the people that dwelled in Hamptons is demanded always fashionable wherever they go. It creates people to be consumer of goods. Shopping center is a social arena for the development of desire, consumers indirectly tricked and trapped on commodity fetishism and using the market as a "holy". This is where the people of ritual culture in the form of consumer spending activity.
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b. Goods Creates False Needs Demand Social Status:
1) Social Status
Social status is the position or rank of person or group and lifestyle based upon prestige. It is displaying good manners, wearing the correct cut of clothes, using proper speech, and member in the social clubs.
This wedding would sell a trillion copies not because Andy was a
cofounder of the magazine she would be appearing in, because
Monique Lhuillier had personally designed Andy’s one-of-kind
wedding gown, or because Barbara Harrison had expertly sourced
the finest wedding planner, florists, and caterers money could buy,
but because Max was third-generations president and CEO of one
of the most successful media companies in America. (Weisberger,
2013: 39)
Base on Adorno said that Money- the price of commodities or goods defines and dominates social relations in capitalist societies. It shows relations between people with people are defined by goods. The goods can create social relationship. As potrayed in the novel, the people that invited in Andy‘s wedding party did not look at the actual Andy but they look at the wedding gown that Andy wearing designed by one of the famous designer in New York and the position
Andy‘s husband as third generations president and CEO of one of the most successful media companies in America that showed as social status. The goods that Andy wore indicated social status.
Every October Yacht Life threw Yacht Party to celebrate their Yacht of the year award, and every year the event drew an
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impressive stable of celebrities to roam the deck of some totally over-the-top yacht as it sailed around Manhattan and allowed its guests to slurp Cristal, nibble truffle-infused whatevers, and overlook the fact they were on the polluted Hudson in late fall instead of the warm waters of Cap d’Antibes. (Weisberger, 2013:59)
The socialites throw a party every October to organize yacht of the years.
This party is interesting an impressive many celebrities because the party as symbol elite class that forms social status in society. It forms social behavior that create many people have a control to their society.
He always said dress code were for styleless people. He always said a lot of things, and Andy remembered hanging on his pontification as though god himself had decreed them. (Weisberger, 2013:68)
The quotation represents that Christian Collins worth looks every bit as gorgeous and pompous and confident as the last time in his suit tuxedo. Christian feels more confident when he wears the gorgeous tuxedo. The tuxedo used as a sigh Christian‘s class social. It shows how a costume has meaning in society. It creates symbol system that used to sign people with another people.
An angry-looking Miranda, adorened in a cream-colored Prada dress, gergous heels with a subtle gold buckle adornment, and of course, the ever-present Hermès bangle, glowered back at her. “I don’t think is the time nor the place,” her icy voice said to whatever poor soul held the camera.And then, a second later, still in her office but now wearing a wool skirt suit, probably Chanel, with ankle booties. Appearing no more pleased then she had in the last scene. (Weisberger, 2013:197)
It depicts the Miranda‘s lifestyle that is adorned by luxurious ornaments such as adore Prada dress, gorgeous heels with a gold buckle, always present
Hermès bangle and a wool skirt suit with ankle booties by Chanel always wrap her every day. The quote above shows that consumption behavior may be
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generated by one‘s habitus ( set of cultural dispositions embedded in her social situations) or class position, however, it appears that one‘s motivation to consume is more likely to be influenced by the individual‘s desire to display wealth, status and social position.
2) Prestige
Prestige refers to the reputation or esteem associated with one's position in society. A person can earn prestige by his or her own achievements, which is known as achieved status, or they can be placed in the stratification system by their inherited position.
Yacht Life magazine hadn’t made a single dime in profits during its ten years in existence, but that didn’t stop Max from declaring it one of the most valuable holdings in all of Harrison Media. It gave them prestige and panache; everyone who was anyone wanted their boat featured in the magazine. (Weisberger, 2013:59)
The lifestyle made by someone a struggle in search of imaging and sensibility to the environment in which he lives. In the novel portrait Harison media is one of big media accompany in America. Yacht Life magazine show superior lifestyle. The people that join yacht life magazine want their yacht featured in magazine because of prestige and existence in their social environment.
The brides and grooms may not have been household names, but the weddings were always lavish and the resulting photographs lent the magazine a hint of prestige it couldn’t have attained through registry suggestion lists and ring guides alone.( Weisberger, 2013:123)
Base on statement above many people want organize their wedding was always lavish and glamour to define herself in society and how they convey their
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identity to others around them through consumptive practice. They consume luxury goods because they want to improving prestige in society in order to be recognized as superior class.
3) Existence
Existence is the behavior of person to earn acknowledgement or acceptance in a group of society.
Style-challenged friend put together something remotely appropriate to wear so that maybe she’ll look good while begging a bunch of strangers for money! (Weisberger, 2013:18)
This party is very important for Andy and Emily. They have spent the past month dealing with florists and caterers. It was hard to convince them to let them attendance in this party. In this party purposed to draw out many investors in their company. So Emily insisted Andy to show up, look decent, and be charming so
Andy notice to all guests and attract a lot of investors to fund members in their company. It shows that the goods connected people and other people.
“Katherine? Oh please. You can’t possibly be worried about Katherine. She used to send him links to her favorite pieces of jewelry before every birthday and anniversary. She wore sweater sets, Andy. Granted, they were Prada-but still, sweater sets. She was our least favorite of all his girlfriends. (Weisberger, 2013:60)
The novel also presents Katherine as the representation of a the heiress of
The Von Herzog fortune. She was some sort of minor Austrian princess whose parents had sent her to board at Max‘s elite Connecticut prep school. She is Max‘s ex girlfriend who too careful and concerned with appearances.
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4) Lifestyle
Lifestyle is the typical way of life of an individual, group, or culture. It is as a derivative of that of style in modernist art. A lifestyle typically reflects an individual's attitudes, values or world view. Therefore, a lifestyle is a means of forging a sense of self and to create cultural symbols that resonate with personal identity.
It was a gift from Max’s parents’ best friends. And although Andy
didn’t know all the details, she’d heard the words helicopter,
private island, and chef thrown around often enough to be very,
very excited. (Weisberger, 2013:57)
Andy get married with Max was third-generations president and CEO of one of the most successful media companies in America. Having a superior and honored husband that has luxurious lifestyle to show their social position through all their properties and their habits. Max was given a helicopter and private island by Max‘s parent best friends as honeymoon gift. It show social relations between people is defined by goods.
The owner commissioned him to decorated the entire Yacht. Can you imagine? How much must it cost to hire one of the world’s preeminent fashion designers to pick fabrics for you couch? Little shocked her after her year at Runway, and what still did was certainly not extent to which crazy people would spend their money. (Weisberger, 2013: 72)
The lifestyle made by a person with an imaging environment where he is staying. As portrayed in the novel, Valentino is the owner of the Yacht to spend a lot of money to decorate their Yacht and hire one of the famous fashion designers in the world. He asks to design furniture in his Yacht. As Adorno said that it is
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merely a reflection of what someone paid to market products. Someone is willing to spend a lot of money for a product because of prestige.
Plus each issue that featured a famous actress, model, musician, or
socialite made it easier to persuade the next celebrity to sign on,
usually without a lot of the Runway name-dropping. (Weisberger,
2013:124)
Socialites‘ lifestyle become news worthy items and then sources of sponsorship for various commodity goods as the public relates to representation of these stars. They are a symbol to persuade another socialite to become consumer of goods.
The cropped rabbit jacket with the oversize collar and no hood cinched fabulously around her waist but did nothing to stop the bone-chilling cold and the brand-new stacked suede Prada pumps cheered her with their poppy fuchsia color but left the better part of her foot exposed. (Weisberger, 2013:1)
Modern lifestyles encourage an individual to keep up to date with the branded goods that trend in society to define attitudes, values, and life style show of wealth and social position person through all of its properties as a symbol
As thought on cue, text at the bottom of the screen announced that one day had elapsed since the last scene. Here, Miranda was seen wearing a stunning Burberry coat with Yves Saint Laurent bag flung over her shoulder as she walked into anteroom on her way out to lunch or a meeting. (Weisberger, 2013: 201)
Branded goods as a commodity fetishism indicated the best thing to demonstrate his superiority or social class among others. Miranda Priestly is potrayed socialite women in New York. The following quotation affirm her taste of branded goods.
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5) Image
Image is mental picture of person to others or things to be recognized in a group of society.
Andy glanced quickly around for Max, who hadn’t even hinted his mother might be in attendance, before turning her full attentions back to the toweringly tall woman in the tweed Chanel skirt suit. (Weisberger, 2013:33)
It is potrayed that in the funeral procession of Fashion Week, all the elements of society gather and meet each other. One of Mrs. Harison is Max‘s
Mother wearing tweed Chanel skirt suit. It is described herself through the branded that she wore in fashion week.
Her tailored white pants, silk tunic, and cobalt high heeled pumps were all Prada, and her military-inspired jacket and classic quilted bag were Chanel. The lone jewelry she wore was a thick, enameled Hermès cuff in a perfectly coordinating shade of blue. Andy had read years early that the cuffs had replaced the scarves as her Hermès security blankets-apprently she had collected nearly five hundred in every imaginable color and size. (Weisberger, 2013:73)
Miranda is the most fashionable and stylish woman. She shows up her social identity front of the guests who come to the Yacht party. Miranda with her
Prada shoes, Chanel bag, the jewelry, and Hermes scarves that she had collected nearly five hundred in every color and size appears with confidence to welcome the guests. This quote shows how the branded goods is important part in the society relationship especially throw a Yacht party as the elite‘s lifestyle and the branded goods used by elite class to demonstrate who they are. The branded goods convey their identity to other around them.
She favored shapeless pantsuits paired with Merrell clogs in the winter and Fit Flops in the summer, and her lone stab at style was a genuine (according to Emily) Prada backpack that she had
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bedazzled herself with an interesting array of puffy paint, rhinestone, and colored thread. Carmella was an undeniable fashion disaster of epic proportions, and Andy loved her dearly. (Weisberger, 2013:161)
Carmella Tindale is managing director part. She works in fashion world every day that makes her must good looking wherever and whenever. She always use Prada bag to make her more confidence. A person‘s taste or her choice of clothes and shoes demonstrate his particular social condition in social relationship.
2. Cultural Goods
Cultural goods are relationship with goods that change their exchange value and use value. Exchange value replaced use value that disguised itself as the object of enjoyment. The people who have money to buy goods are intoxicated by the act of buying. The people are proud when they show up their branded goods in society such as diamonds, gadget, style, bag, shoes, car, and fashion.
The consumer is paying, not for the product but for the packaging. Rather than assessments of value based on the qualities of the product, judgments about the qualities of the product are based upon its exchange value, its price, its top-ten rating. This is the height of commodity fetishism.
“Why aren’t you dressed yet? People are going to be here any minute!” “I have nothing to wear!” everything I brought is wrong.” “Andy…”Emilrony’s hip jutted out in her magenta silk dress, just under where the billowy fabric was cinched tight by a triple wrapped gold chain belt that wouldn’t have fit around most women’s thighs. Her coltish legs were tanned and accessorized with gold gladiator sandals and glossy pedicure in the same shade of pink as her dress. All you had to do was show up, look decent, and be charming, at you. (Weisberger, 2013:17)
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It presents that the goods has important position in society, Andy is invited by Emily show up to husband‘s parents‘ place and insisted Andy experience the fabulousness of white party and she confused to wear costume in Emily‘s party.
She feels everything she brought is wrong. It indicated that the goods that we wear influence someone lifestyle so that occurs consumerism of cultural goods.
Tons of hedge fund guys who just love investing in media projects. I’m telling you, Andy, smile a lot show interest in them, be your usual adorable self- wear that dress-and we’ll be set. “smile, show interest, be adorable. Got it” Andy pulled the towel off her head and began to comb out her hair. “remember, I’ve seated you between Farooq Hamid, whose fund was recently ranked among the fifty most lucrative investment this year, and Max Harrison Media Holdings, who’s now acting as their CEO” (Weisberger, 2013:19)
The quotation represents how fashion has influence in social activity especially in work. Andy must look adorable in party. She has to wear good dress because Emily has invited the elite class such as Farooq hamid, who‘s the most lucrative investment and Max Harison is CEO from Max Harrison Media
Holdings. Indirectly they sell fashion to get many investing in media project.
The night of the party, Andy showed up to The Carlyle Hotel an hour early to help Max oversee the setup, and his expression alone when she stepped into the room, wearing one of Emily’s Céline dresses accessorized with chunky gold jewelry and gorgeous high heels, made it all worthwhile. She knew she looked great, and she was proud of herself. (Weisberger, 2013:32)
It confirms that the fashion taste of a person is really essential. Andy as co hosting in Max‘s company party was throwing in honor of its magazine editors who visits Fashion Week wear the best coat made from Céline dresses one of famous brand in world and accessorized with chunky gold jewelry and gorgeous
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high heels, made it all worthwhile and seems uncomfortable wearing it. This quote presents that the people occasionally do not wear best clothes and shoes based on the quality and the comfortability but the quantity or the high prestige that the best and expensive clothes and shoes bring to a person wearing them.
You think just happened to share a plate of tagliatelle with Miranda and didn’t mention it to you? She was there last night, yes, but she didn’t so much as glance in my direction, and my entire interaction was with her Chanel Number Five as she blew past me without a glimmer of recognition. (Weisberger, 2013:78)
The quote above shows how branded goods defines her owner. Andy did not look at Miranda but she interested with Chanel number five that Miranda used. It is reflection how branded goods create fetishism commodities through the cult of the branded goods in elite class. It makes many people to spend their money and time to hunting branded goods.
She tossed her oversize Louis Vuitton tote bag-one of those behemoth schleppers that claimed it could hold five hundred pounds without snapping a strap-onto the hallway bench and kicked of her shoes. (Weisberger, 2013:111)
The adoration to branded goods has become life style that must be fulfilled. The branded goods included popular culture has witnessed a massive shift in how commodity goods, especially fashion items are marketed into a continuous intensification of shopping. While brands such as Louis vuitton has become elite icon in society.
He was wearing a cross between a robe and a dress, all white, over pants that could possibly have been skinny jeans but more closely resembled leggings. A fringed silk scarf hung from his neck all the way to his knee and it featured a none-too-subtle Luis Vuitton logo print the entire length. Despite the tropical heat, the ensemble was topped off with Cossack hat and purple velvet slippers. (Weisberger, 2013: 141)
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It is depicted that Nigel who worked at Runway magazine. As one of stuff from Runway magazine he is demanded to fashiom\nable. He uses Luis Vitton logo to present that he has good position in society. Luis Vitton is a commodity fetishism that becomes social identity card to integrate someone in society.
Miranda evaluated them both coolly, although Andy knew Miranda recognize them. No matter-it didn’t stop her cheeks from burning when Miranda slowly ran eyes from Andy’s head to her toes. It still made Andy want to amputate both feet when Miranda’s eyes came to rest on her shoes (today’s, incidentally, were a pair of dirty Converse sneakers she’d unearthed from the dregs of her closet- she deserved to be comfortable). But it was when Miranda’s gaze rose again and stopped on Andy’s belly that she truly wanted to run. (Weisberger, 2013: 212)
It is described that fashion and clothing is the most significant ways in which social relations between people are constructed, experienced and understood. The goods that people wear give shape and color to social distinctions and inequalities. The quote above shows that the goods is very important to build a relations in society. It shows how Miranda gaze at Andy‘s shoes a pair of dirty
Converse sneakers. She seems put a big attention to Andy‘s taste and choice of
Shoes that Andy uses.
That very afternoon two signature orange boxes with brown ribbons arrived via messenger from Hermès: three bangles apiece, each one different and ornately beautiful. Emily couldn’t put them on fast enough. Andy looked at her with a smile. Maybe playing hard to get was enticing to Miranda. (Weisberger, 2013:222)
It is described that the gift as one of form that connected people with another people. This quote shows that the branded goods such as Hermès can built a relations with another people, Andy prepare a gift for Miranda. She gives three
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bangles apiece, each one different and ornately beautiful from Hermès. Giving a gift as branded good creates the distinction of class.
The vermilion maxi dress fit perfectly and was made of the finest silk with beautiful stitching, but it flowed out made of the finest silk with beautiful stitching, but it flowed our around her ankles in a soft, elegant wave. Her arms were bare-again, it was the first time Andy could remember seeing Miranda’s shoulders in anything other than black-tie, as even her tennis outfits tended toward conservative-and a knockout pain of diamond chandelier earrings reflected the light in tiny, bright soft bursts. A handful of Hermès bangles jangled on her left arm, of course, but her only other accessory was a buttery soft leather strip that wrapped two, maybe three, times around her trim waist, overlapping itself in a way that felt artful and casual at the same time. Even her signature bob was somehow less severe; it wasn’t mussed, exactly, but it had a bit of sophisticated bed head rumple to it. More surprising than the dress and the hair and the jewelry, though, was the single feature one never, ever expected to see on Miranda Priestly: a smile that looked completely human. It almost bordered on warm. (Weisberger, 2013: 301)
Miranda Priestly tries her best effort to exhibit her social identity in front of the guest who comes to the dinner party in her house. The vermilion maxi dress fit perfectly and was made of the finest silk with beautiful stitching and a knockout pain of diamond chandelier earrings reflected the light in tiny, bright soft bursts. A handful of Hermès bangles jangled on her left arm appears with proud of show to guests. This quote shows commodity fetishism that goods are given intrinsic meaning and symbol power. The goods make us believe a particular product or service contains the power and ability to manifest status, prestige, attractiveness, and distinction from other members. Base Adorno said that exchange value exerts its power in a special way in the realm of cultural goods.
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6) Discussions
Fetishism refers to a trait adore (fetish). Commodity fetishism is a series of processes in the consumption of the product after consumption behavior became consumptive and evolved into a lifestyle. Fetishism is closely related to consumerism, or the condition in which an individual, as a consumer, consuming goods outside rill needs. Adorno (1991: 90) quoted Commodity fetishism is how the producer indicates that the principle of exchange can impose specially powers in the world of cultural goods.
The cultural goods describe how people in capitalism place an undue importance upon the consumption of commodities, or that they make a fetish out of particular commodities that serve as status symbols. The term also does not refer to making a fetish of brand names. There is no ‗secret‘ behind possessing expensive commodities as status symbols that needs to be deciphered. It is often the case that the commodity fetish is characterized solely as a state of affairs in which the social relationships between people appear as social relationships between things (the relationships of those engaged in exchange appear as a value relationship between the products being exchanged), so that social relationships become the property of things. In other words, the people assert itself as a part of society, only by means of the relations which the act of exchange establishes directly between the products.
The novel describes the social condition . Based on the data analysis, It was further explained as follows:
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1. Social Production
Social production is goods that produced for many people as entertainment, pleasure, and enjoyment. It creates false needs that demanded of social value such as social status, prestige, existence, life style and image that expressed through consume various commodities.
This research found that several characters revealed in the novel use social production in social environment . Hamptons is one of fashion center in New
York that influence the people that dwelled in Hamptons is demanded always fashionable wherever they go. It creates people to be consumer of goods.
Shopping center is a social arena for the development of desire, consumers indirectly tricked and trapped on commodity fetishism and using the market as a
"holy". This is where the people of ritual culture in the form of consumer spending activity. The social production refer to a visual style can be integral to a way of life. In the past, divisions between ranks and classes tended to be much more sharply defined and cross-class mobility far more restricted than today, so the visual styles associated with particular classes were exclusive and remained unchanged for long periods. Lifestyle has become extremely popular. It would seem that lifestyle is almost as much a consequence of commercial calculation and design as any other product. For example Prada bag is not only a bag to throw many devices or the protection for the goods. It is an index of personal status and position in the society. Social production is always stressed that the people make a purchase, they do not by just product but they buy a lifestyle that has been embedded into it. As potrayed in the novel, Valentino is the owner of the Yacht to
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spend a lot of money to decorate their Yacht and hire one of the famous fashion designers in the world. He asks to design furniture in his Yacht. Valentino does not by just Yacsht but he buys lifestyle. Someone is willing to spend a lot of money for a product because of prestige and superior lifestyle.
Social production created fetish consumer behavior is that people often buy products not for what they do, but for what they mean. They buy some products because they want and desire rather than need. This principle does not imply that a product‘s basic function is unimportant, but rather than the roles products play in their lives go well beyond the tasks they perform. As well as
Velentino, he spends a lot of money just to buy a yacht for identification with the name and the success stories on other owner of Yacht lifestyle. The social production involved in the stabling and reproduction of positions and relations of power.
Moreover, what a person wear in his body or appearance also sighifies her social identity. To be recognized as the part of upper class society. Base on
Adorno said that Money- the price of commodities or goods defines and dominates social relations in capitalist societies. It shows relations between people with people are defined by goods. The goods can create social relationship. As potrayed in the novel, the people that invited in Andy‘s wedding party did not look at the actual Andy but they look at the wedding gown that Andy wearing designed by one of the famous designer in New York and the position Andy‘s husband as third generations president and CEO of one of the most successful
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media companies in America that showed as social status. The goods that Andy wore indicated her social status.
2. Cultural Goods
Adorno (1991:34).) states that how ‗exchange value exerts its power in a special way in the realm of cultural goods. It is exchange value refers to the money that a commodity can command on the market, the price it can be bought and sold for, while use value refers to the usefulness of the good for the consumer, its practical value or utility as a commodity. The Cultural goods are relationship with goods that change their exchange value and use value. Exchange value replaced use value that disguised itself as the object of enjoyment. The people who have money to buy goods are intoxicated by the act of buying. The people are proud when they show up their branded goods in society such as diamonds, gadget, style, bag, shoes, car, and fashion.
Fashion and clothing may be the most significant ways in which social relations between people are constructed, experience, and understood. The things that people wear indentify their social. It means that the fashion item can communicate people massage to another people in society. Fashion reflects society how the people define themselves. In the novel portrait It presents that the goods has important position in society, Andy is invited by Emily show up to husband‘s parents‘ place and insisted Andy experience the fabulousness of white party and she confused to wear costume in Emily‘s party. She feels everything she brought is wrong. It indicated that the goods that we wear influence someone lifestyle so that occurs consumerism of cultural goods.
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Similarity, Miranda Priestly tries her best effort to exhibit her social identity in front of the guest who comes to the dinner party in her house. The vermilion maxi dress fit perfectly and was made of the finest silk with beautiful stitching and a knockout pain of diamond chandelier earrings reflected the light in tiny, bright soft bursts. A handful of Hermès bangles jangled on her left arm appears with proud of show to guests. This quote shows commodity fetishism that goods are given intrinsic meaning and symbol power. The goods make us believe a particular product or service contains the power and ability to manifest status, prestige, attractiveness, and distinction from other members. Base Adorno said that exchange value exerts its power in a special way in the realm of cultural goods. it makes sense to use appearances to mark, social class. The cultural goods transform symbol of subcultural identity into something which anyone with enough money can acquire and wear with pride. Fashion, branded goods, car, accessories and jewelry are often used to indicate social status and people often make judgments concerning other people‘s social worth or statues on the basis of what those people are wearing. Statues may result or accrue from various sources, occupations, family, sex, gender, age or race. Fashion is one of the most favored forms because fashionable clothes, accessories, and body adornment are easy for other to observe at glance. In modern times, incidental items, particular branded specific handbags, shoes, jewelry. Accessories and new hairstyle act also important status symbol. The cultural goods have important position in society to integrate someone in society. The commodity goods are one of social identity card. The people that use branded goods are made for bourgeois classes. Branded
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goods proclaim wealth and status. The branded goods are a distinct marker of identity and it transfers meaning to other. The branded goods become a way of promoting an individual‘s style as well as the style of icon in society. It can form commodity fetishism such as creates lifestyle phenomena, Occurring culture consumer in society such as used the branded goods, Spending the free time in mall and making luxurious party and create commodity such as music, radio, magazine, drama, film, advertisement, consumption goods, fashion and art.
Commodity fetishism can create many effects, namely:
1. Modern lifestyle makes everyone to show their social position through
all their properties.
2. The branded goods has high position in capitalist society because the
goods that are used defined social status.
3. Creating the culture consumer in society to get guarantee good quality,
fashionable and trendsetters.
4. Commodity of fetishism creates symbol value, prestige and high
confident by using branded goods.
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CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
This chapter presents conlcusions and suggestions. After finding the forms of commodity of fetishism and analyzing it by using theory of Theodor
Adorno about commodity of fetishism in the novel ―Revenge Wears Prada‖ by
Lauren Weisberger, the writer proposes some conclusions and suggestions to the readers.
A. Conclusions
These are the conclusions from the result of the research, as follows:
In Lauren Weisberger‘s novel ―Revenge Wears Prada‖ novel the writer found portrait commodity of fetishism. There are two characteristics commodity of fetishism that occur in the novel, they are:
1. Social Production
Social production is goods that produced for many people as
entertainment, pleasure, and enjoyment. It creates false needs that
demanded of social value such as social status, prestige, existence, life
style and image that expressed through consume various commodities.
2. Cultural Goods
The Cultural goods is relationship with goods that change their exchange
value and use value. Exchange value replaced use value that disguised
itself as the object of enjoyment. The people who have money to buy
goods are intoxicated by the act of buying. The people are proud when
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they show up their branded goods in society such as diamonds, gadget,
style, bag, shoes, car, and fashion.
Eventually, it can be concluded that the phenomenon of commodity fetishism in the novel is the reflection of the social environment of Lauren
Weisberger as the author. New York is centers of fashion in the world. Many people that occupied in New York have to pay a huge attention to popular culture.
Popular culture creates consumerism that cannot be separate with fashion and branded goods. So it creates commodity of fetishism. Lauren experienced and observed social phenomenon around her and reflected it through her story in novel.
B. Suggestions
1. For the next researchers, the writer suggests them to learn more about
commodity of fetishism in order to do more spesific research about
commodity of fetishism.
2. For the readers, the writer suggests to find and to know more about
commodity of fetishism because it has been a part of social
phenomenon that occurs around us.
3. The writer believes that the novel can be explored deeper. Moreover
Revenge Wears Prada is a great novel containing many aspects that can
be analyzed from various point of view.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adorno, T. 1991.The Culture Industry, London, Routledge.
Ainiyah, Fakhriyatul. 2013. Fetisisme Komoditas : Pemujaan Status Simbol Dalam Gaya Hidup Mahasiswa, Aingrlaga University
Bennett, T.1979. Formalism and Marxism, London and New York, Methuen. Boch, Francoise and Annie Piolat. Note Taking and Learning: A summary of Research. The WAC Journal, Vol. 16 p.1-13. Stendhal University and University of Provence.
Davis, Michael. 1999. The Poetry of Philosophy: on Aristotle’s Poetics. South Bend, Indiana: St Augustine.
Kennedy, William. 1966. How to Analyze Fiction, New York: Monarch Press.
Kennedy, X. J. and Dana Gioia. 1995. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, sixth edition. New York: Harper Collins.
Lorens, Bagus. 1996. Kamus Filsafat. Jakarta: Gramedia.
Lepkowsky, Ian Andrew. 2013. Social Media Fetishism: The Substitution of Life, TheDisavowal of Death, and The Zombie Syndrom, University at Albany, State University Of New York.
Marx, K. 1963. Selected Writings in Sociology and Social Philosophy, ed. T.Bottomore and M.Rubel, Harmondsworth, Penguin.
Nazir. 1988. Metode Penelitian. Jakarta: Ghalia Indonesia. Plemons, M.2008. Commodity Fido: Pets As Status Symbols. Texas A&M University. Oxford. 2008. Learning’s Pocket Dictionary, Oxford University Press.
Pujilaksono,S. 2009. Pengantar Antropologi. Malang: UMM Press.
Sancaktar, Asli. 2006. an Analysis of Shoe within The Context of Social History of Fashion, Izmir University. Saray, Markian. 2007. Buying Brithney: Pop Culture Icons to Cultural Brand. Brock University
Strinati, Dominic. 1995. An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture. London: Routledge
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Storey, John. 2009. Cultural Theory Popular Culture An Introduction. Pearson Education
Weisberger, Laurent. 2013. Revenge Wears Prada. New York.
Williams, Raymond. 1983. Keywords, London: Fontana.
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Indicator
Goods of made for
No Entertainment Pleasure Enjoyment
1 The Times write-up is fantastic! She grabbed the hat and the sunblock The pressure to get dressed up and look You’re on the first page of Wedding and tossed them back into the bag, great and be at the right place. and the picture is gorge. adding her own bikini, jean short, and tank top. There was only so far she was willing to go with Emily’s dictatorial costuming
2 very few of their readers could afford the lifestyle proposed by The Plunge, but they were all savvy and stylish and luxury-aware enough to use the gorgeous photos and detailed articles as inspirations for their own weddings
3 A book that offered the sophisticated, savvy, style-conscious woman page after page of inspiration on which she
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could model her own wedding 4 The plunge was edited with a nod to high fashion and refinement: one-of- a-kind designer dresses; diamond jewelry worthy of being passed down through the generations; guides on how to select the elegant silver servers rent a private island for your honeymoon, curate unique and finely crafted registry lists
Goods creates false needs demand social values
No Social status Prestige Existence Lifestyle Image
1 Barbara Harrison had but that didn’t stop Max Style-challenged friend It was a gift from Max’s who hadn’t even hinted expertly sourced the finest from declaring it one of the put together something parents’ best friends. And his mother might be in wedding planner, florists, most valuable holdings in remotely appropriate to although Andy didn’t know attendance, before and caterers money could all of Harrison Media. It wear so that maybe she’ll all the details, she’d heard turning her full buy, but because Max was gave them prestige and look good while begging a the words helicopter, attentions back to the third-generations president panache bunch of strangers for private island, and chef toweringly tall woman and CEO of one of the money thrown around often in the tweed Chanel skirt
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most successful media enough to be very, very suit. companies in America. excited
2 and overlook the fact they The brides and grooms may She wore sweater sets, The owner commissioned Her tailored white pants, were on the polluted not have been household Andy. Granted, they were him to decorated the entire silk tunic, and cobalt Hudson in late fall instead names, but the weddings Prada-but still, sweater Yacht. Can you imagine? high heeled pumps were of the warm waters of Cap were always lavish and the sets. She was our least How much must it cost to all Prada, and her d’Antibes. resulting photographs lent favorite of all his hire one of the world’s military-inspired jacket the magazine a hint of girlfriends preeminent fashion and classic quilted bag prestige it couldn’t have designers to pick fabrics for were Chanel. The lone attained through registry you couch? Little shocked jewelry she wore was a suggestion lists and ring her after her year at thick, enameled Hermès guides alone Runway, and what still did cuff in a perfectly was certainly not extent to coordinating shade of which crazy people would blue spend their money. 3 He always said dress code Plus each issue that Merrell clogs in the were for styleless people. featured a famous actress, winter and Fit Flops in He always said a lot of model, musician, or the summer, and her things, and Andy socialite made it easier to lone stab at style was a remembered hanging on persuade the next celebrity genuine (according to his pontification as though to sign on, usually without Emily) Prada backpack god himself had decreed a lot of the Runway name- that she had bedazzled them. dropping. herself with an interesting array of puffy
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paint, rhinestone, and colored thread. Carmella was an undeniable fashion disaster of epic proportions, 4 adorened in a cream- The cropped rabbit jacket colored Prada dress, with the oversize collar and gergous heels with a subtle no hood cinched fabulously gold buckle adornment, around her waist but did and of course, the ever- nothing to stop the bone- present Hermès bangle, chilling cold and the brand- glowered back at her new stacked suede Prada pumps cheered her with their poppy fuchsia color but left the better part of her foot exposed 5 Miranda was seen wearing a stunning Burberry coat with Yves Saint Laurent bag flung over her shoulder as she walked into anteroom on her way out to lunch or a meeting
The writer, Nuraisyah, was born at Soppeng on
October 5nd 1991. She is the eldest child from
the couple Abdul Kadir Taepe and Hj. Hasnaini,
She completed her elementary school at SD.
Negri 1 Cacaleppeng and graduated in 2003.
Then she continued her study at Negri 1 junior
high school and Negri 1 senior high school for
six years and graduated in 2009.
She has a huge interest in English since she was a child that made her choose English as a field of study at UIN Alauddin Makassar. Watching movies, reading some novels and fashion magazine are her favorite hobbies in a spare time. Candace Bushnell is her favorite writer and Sex and the City is her inspiring movie. Family and education is her biggest concern in life. If you have any question due to her research paper, contact her at [email protected]
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